Asthma story UPDATE

[stepay]

I recently created a thread about my 13-year-old son being rid of asthma after having his appendix removed. We made that correlation after scratching our heads about a potential cause since June 2012. Turns out we were WRONG!

 

The reason his asthma went away after the surgery is that he was in the hospital for a couple days and missed a couple of teeth brushings (we were mainly focused on him not dying and didn't bother with normal hygiene things). The cause of the asthma? Regular Crest toothpaste. A Google search shows that many other people have had similar responses to certain types of "regular" toothpaste (not just Crest). Apparently the sensitive teeth toothpaste doesn't typically cause a problem.

 

My son noticed on his own that when he got home and brushed his teeth that his asthma returned, so then he decided without telling us that he would brush only with water and see what happened. His asthma went away. I noticed him doing this after several days and then he told me his theory. We tested it that night...he brushed with regular Crest and his asthma symptoms returned. The next morning we had him brush with baking soda, and his breathing returned to normal by mid afternoon. He has been using baking soda since, and the asthma is gone!

 

I was pretty sure it was the appendicitis that was causing the breathing issue, but now, with this new-found evidence, I'm convinced it's the toothpaste. His breathing problems began in June 2012 shortly after turning 12 when we switched him from kid toothpaste to 12 and older toothpaste.

 

Also, somewhere in there we had a 3-day weekend with family in Maryland, and his asthma went away...because he was having so much fun with cousins that he didn't bother to take time to brush his teeth. That's when we thought it might be an environmental issue...we had him tested for everything under the sun, but without ANYTHING being a possible culprit.

 

Crazy. Not sure what ingredient it is (though Blue No. 1 is in it and has some evidence of causing asthma), but it's something in that regular Crest toothpaste.

[marino]

Well, that was just crazy. Testing on large-scale products (or any product for that matter) should be a lot more accurate... one shouldn't be left to discover thing like these by mere chance.

That said, thanks for the useful info - and above all, all the best to your son. Hope that he'll never experience breathing problems again.

 

 

[ksoper]

I'm glad that you've found the root (no pun intended) cause of your son's asthma. There are a great many products that cause asthma-like symptoms in myself including colognes, room deodorizers, and cleaning products.

 

Your story also shows how careful we must be when determining cause and effect. One thing does not necessarily follow the other.

[smanzella]

I wish manufacturers would stop putting unnecessary ingredients in their products, especially dyes. It increases the cost and exposes the end-user to unknown risks. As a side note, I have a friend who has a son that goes MEGA ADHD whenever he eats or uses any products with red or blue food dye. This kid is normally calm as can be. Whenever he ingests red or blue food dye, he goes bezerk!

[MIDI2XS]

[...]The cause of the asthma? Regular Crest toothpaste.

 

[...]Crazy. Not sure what ingredient it is (though Blue No. 1 is in it and has some evidence of causing asthma), but it's something in that regular Crest toothpaste.

As with most manufacturers, Crest has several different formulations of their toothpastes. By any chance does the one you're discussing have triclosan (an antibacterial) as an ingredient? Even if not, you might want to avoid triclosan in general.

 

See http://www.naturalnews.com/031160_antibacterial_soap_allergies.html

 

[stepay]

[...]The cause of the asthma? Regular Crest toothpaste.

 

[...]Crazy. Not sure what ingredient it is (though Blue No. 1 is in it and has some evidence of causing asthma), but it's something in that regular Crest toothpaste.

As with most manufacturers, Crest has several different formulations of their toothpastes. By any chance does the one you're discussing have triclosan (an antibacterial) as an ingredient? Even if not, you might want to avoid triclosan in general.

 

See http://www.naturalnews.com/031160_antibacterial_soap_allergies.html

 

No it doesn't. Here are the ingredients in the Crest version that he was using:

 

- sorbitol and sodium saccharin (sweetener and base)

- cellulose gum (thickener)

- water (as hydrated silica)

- sodium lauryl sulfate (soap)

- trisodium phosphate (surfactant)

- sodium phosphate

- sodium fluoride (cavity fighter)

- titanium dioxide (opaque white pigment)

- FD&C Blue 1 (color)

- natural and artificial flavor (from mint)

[Bobadohshe]

This is totally nuts. Props to your son for being an intelligent problem solver.

[Bobadohshe]

Funny, your saga is like an episode of 'House'. With all the sleuth work and misidentifications of the problem, you almost have a solid 60 min episode.

[Jim Alfredson]

I developed a serious sensitivity to artificial food dyes about 5 years ago. I was having horrible bowel issues, skin issues, joint issues, tooth pain, terrible dandruff, mood problems, etc. Through elimination, I figured out it was synthetic food dyes.

 

I predict that this will become more and more of an issue due to the ubiquitous prevalence of synthetic food dyes in so much of our food, cleaning agents, hygiene products, medication, etc. The body will get sensitized to things via over-exposure. That's exactly what happened to me. I never had an issue with food dyes but I became sensitized due to over-exposure. I used to drink a huge Gatorade or Power-Ade on the way to a gig, another during the gig, another on the way home. I would go through a box of cheap popsicles in a night. I ate candy like nobody's business. I also started packing on the weight, as you can imagine. Since I eliminated products with dyes in them, I've lost 30lbs, and feel better than ever.

 

It is a real problem for me on the road because it is in things you would never suspect, such as salad dressings, syrup, sauces, meats, etc. I don't know what I ate this weekend but something got me and I had an absolutely horrible bout with IBS. My whole intestinal tract gets inflamed. It's horrible.

 

I would not be surprised if it's the blue dye. The chemicals they use to make that stuff are horrendous. Nobody should eat that shit. It's really bad for your digestive tract.

 

It should be noted that most countries in Europe have banned these dyes.

[Jim Alfredson]

A good description of the most common dyes, what they are made of (yummy, petrochemicals!) and the symptoms they can cause.

 

http://eveliens.hubpages.com/hub/Health-Synthetic-Food-Dyes-The-Seven-Deadly-Dyes

[stepay]

Thanks for the personal story and the info Jim. These dyes are crazy, and you're right that they are in everything. Blue 1 was in my son's shampoo also, so he has switched to Baby shampoo. I might go so far as to try to have him tested for all the ingredients in that Crest regular toothpaste, but I'm not sure anyone would be able to do it, AND apparently the common skin test isn't as reliable as one would hope. I think we're going to be even more vigilant about what we eat and drink in our house.

[Joe Muscara]

There are toothpaste brands and other products that don't have dyes and other junk in them, like Tom's of Maine.

[stepay]

There are toothpaste brands and other products that don't have dyes and other junk in them, like Tom's of Maine.

 

Yep. Just bought some. It actually has more stuff in it than I thought it would, and then I read online (haven't researched yet to see if this is true) that Colgate bought Tom's, so who knows if it will really be a different product from the norm.

 

I've told my son we won't experiment with new toothpaste until after his cross country season is over.

[Joe Muscara]

Yep. Just bought some. It actually has more stuff in it than I thought it would, and then I read online (haven't researched yet to see if this is true) that Colgate bought Tom's, so who knows if it will really be a different product from the norm.

in 2006! I had no idea. Supposedly, they weren't going to change anything, though.

 

Good plan on waiting.

[Musicale]

Quite interesting...

You may wish to run some tests with different products, using the Crest as a control. Not sure if s typical skin test like they use for allergies would work, but worth a try. The question at hand is: Is this an allergic reaction (histamine response). It would be worth contacting the maker of Crest to inform them of the discovery. I suspect they would either ignore you (for fear of a lawsuit) or they would get very nervous. Good Luck.

 

Musicale

[stepay]

Last update: After more testing, it's not the dye in the toothpaste (at least not mostly)...it's simply the flavoring. For some reason the mint flavoring (either the artificial or the natural) causes the asthma, and for some reason brushing teeth with mint-flavored toothpaste is a big problem. Anyway, we're on to no more flavorings in toothpaste for him, and his asthma continues to be gone.

[mauriziodececco]

Last update: After more testing, it's not the dye in the toothpaste (at least not mostly)...it's simply the flavoring. For some reason the mint flavoring (either the artificial or the natural) causes the asthma, and for some reason brushing teeth with mint-flavored toothpaste is a big problem. Anyway, we're on to no more flavorings in toothpaste for him, and his asthma continues to be gone.

 

 

For what is worth: i am allergic to mites, and with time the allergy major symptom become asthma (not too strong for now,

but sensible).

 

The point is that this asthma condition in my case is not only started up by the primary allergy cause (mites), but by a series of secondary causes that somehow irritate my lumbs. Main secondary cause, tobacco smoke, even a single smoker in a large office.

Mint is another secondary cause; there may be others.

 

I have no idea if my experience can be used to draw general conclusion, but if it does, you may consider doing an allergy check for your son, mint may not be the original cause ..

 

Maurizio

 

[stepay]

Last update: After more testing, it's not the dye in the toothpaste (at least not mostly)...it's simply the flavoring. For some reason the mint flavoring (either the artificial or the natural) causes the asthma, and for some reason brushing teeth with mint-flavored toothpaste is a big problem. Anyway, we're on to no more flavorings in toothpaste for him, and his asthma continues to be gone.

 

 

For what is worth: i am allergic to mites, and with time the allergy major symptom become asthma (not too strong for now,

but sensible).

 

The point is that this asthma condition in my case is not only started up by the primary allergy cause (mites), but by a series of secondary causes that somehow irritate my lumbs. Main secondary cause, tobacco smoke, even a single smoker in a large office.

Mint is another secondary cause; there may be others.

 

I have no idea if my experience can be used to draw general conclusion, but if it does, you may consider doing an allergy check for your son, mint may not be the original cause ..

 

Maurizio

 

Yeah, thanks for that...he had a whole battery of tests for allergens, and he wasn't allergic to any of it. Very odd. A Google search shows that lots of people have problems with certain different kinds of toothpaste.